Текст "Великобритания" для подготовки к ОГЭ
методическая разработка по английскому языку (9 класс) на тему

The United Kingdom of Great Britain.

        The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland consists of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. It lies on the British Isles. The English Channel and the Strait of Dover separate Britain from the continent. In the west Gr.Br. is washed by the Atlantic Ocean, in the east it is washed by the North Sea, in the north-by the Arctic Ocean and there is the Irish Sea between the Irish Republic and England. The capital of Scotland is Edinburgh, the capital of Wales is Cardiff, the capital of Northern Ireland is Belfast, the capital of England and the whole Gr.Br. is London.

        The climate of Gr.Br. is mild and damp. The Gulf Stream, a warm ocean current, warms the country, giving it mild summers and cool winters. Britain is known as a foggy country.

        The Thames and Severn are the main rivers in England. The Severn is the longest river and the Thames is the most important. Ben Nevis is the highest mountain in the UK. It is located in Scotland. The UK is rich in iron, coal, natural gas, oil.

        From the 6-th to the 3-rd centuries BC, the British Isles were invaded by Celtic tribes, they came from central Europe. These tribes were pagans.

        In AD 43, the Romans invaded southern Britain and Britain became their colony. The Roman invasion was not peaceful, but the Romans built the town Londinium, which now is London, on the river Thames, they brought their culture, they built many roads and cities. In the 4-th century the Roman Empire was collapsing and the Roman legions left Britain in order to defend their own country from German tribes.

        From about AD 350 the Saxons, Jutes, Frisians and Angles invaded Britain. They brought their ancient arts and language with them. Celtic languages disappeared from most of Europe, but are still spoken in Wales, Ireland and Scotland. The Anglo-Saxons were converted to Christianity by Saint Augustine of Rome in AD 597. As Christianity spread, churches and monasteries were built in England.

        About AD 790, the Vikings started to invade England. They were excellent traders and navigators. In 1016, England became a part of the Scandinavian Empire. In 1066 England was conquered by William the Conqueror who won the battle of Hastings and became King of England. It was a strong, centralized country under military rule. The Normans built castles all over England to control it better. Norman power was absolute, and the Norman French language had changed ENGLISH. Since 1066, England has never been invaded. For many centuries this country was known simply as England. It had a strong army and navy. It had many colonies and waged numerous colonial wars.

        Gr.Br. is a constitutional monarchy. The Queen is the head of the state, but the real power in the country belongs to the Parliament, which consists of two chambers (houses) – the House of Lords and the House of Commons. There are two major political parties – the Labour party and the Conservative party, which is in power now in Gr.Br. Prime Minister of the UK is Theresa May since the 13-th of July 2016 as a result of  David Cameron’s retirement. She replaced David Cameron who was the previous Prime minister. He became Prime Minister as a result of 2011 elections. 

        The flag of the U.K. is known as Union Jack. It is made up of three crosses: the cross of St. George (the patron saint of England), the cross of St. Andrew (the patron saint of Scotland) and the cross of St. Patrick (the patron saint of Ireland).

        Everyone in the U.K. speaks English. But in Scotland and Wales people speak different language as well. The British speak English differently. A Scottish person should listen carefully if he wants to understand a Londoner or a Welsh person.

        There are immigrants, especially from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh.

        London is the capital of the UK. It is in fact three cities: the City, the East End and the West End. The City is the financial centre of the UK. The West End is famous for historical places and parks. These are: Westminster Abbey and Westminster Cathedral, Houses of Parliament, Buckingham Palace, New Scotland Yard, the Tate Gallery, the National Gallery, St. Paul’s Cathedral, Hyde Park with its famous Speakers’ Corner, the Regent’s Park, home of the Zoological Gardens and so on. The West End is the area of wealth and goods of high quality.

London’s East End is associated with the Cockney dialect. This part of London was a slum during the 19-th century. There was the port until recently. The docks played an important part of Britain’s economy.

The name of the British Queen is Elizabeth the Second, she has become a queen in 1953.